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Aqueduct of Segovia, Plaza del Azoguejo, Segovia, Spain

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Aqueduct of Segovia, Plaza del Azoguejo, Segovia, Spain

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Aqueduct of Segovia, Plaza del Azoguejo, Segovia, Spain

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Aqueduct which is latin, 'aqua+ducere' which means "to  lead water", it is an artificial channel for conveying  water, typically in the form of a bridge across a vallley or other gap. "If you zoom in on the map where this point is you will find another point near it."

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The Aqueduct of Segovia ( Spanish: Acueducto de Segovia; more accurately, the aqueduct bridge) is a Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. It is one of the best-preserved elevated Roman aqueducts and the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms.

As the aqueduct lacks a legible inscription (one was apparently located in the structure's attic, or top portion[citation needed ]), the date of construction cannot be definitively determined. The general date of the Aqueduct's construction was long a mystery, although it was thought to have been during the 1st century AD, during the reigns of the Emperors Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan. At the end of the 20th century, Géza Alföldy deciphered the text on the dedication plaque by studying the anchors that held the now missing bronze letters in place. He determined that Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) ordered its construction and the year 98 AD was proposed as the most likely date of completion. However, in 2016 archeological evidence was published which points to a slightly later date, after 112 AD, during the government of Trajan or in the beginning of the government of emperor Hadrian, from 117 AD.

The beginnings of Segovia are also not definitively known. The Arevaci people are known to have populated the area before it was conquered by the Romans. Roman troops sent to control the area stayed behind to settle there. The area fell within the jurisdiction of the Roman provincial court (Latin conventus iuridici, Spanish convento jurídico) located in Clunia.

The aqueduct once transported water from the Rio Frio river, situated in mountains 17 km (11 mi) from the city in the La Acebeda region. It runs 15 km (9.3 mi) before arriving in the city.

The construction of the aqueduct follows the principles laid out by Vitruvius in his De Architectura published in the mid-first century BC.

The water was first gathered in a tank known as El Caserón (or Big House), and was then led through a channel to a second tower known as the Casa de Aguas (or Waterhouse). There it was naturally decanted and sand settled out before the water continued its route. Next the water traveled 728 m (796 yd) on a one-percent grade until it was high upon the Postigo, a rocky outcropping on which sits the walled city center with its Alcázar or castle.

To reach the old city, the water is conveyed by its aqueduct bridge. At Plaza de Díaz Sanz, the structure makes an abrupt turn and heads toward Plaza Azoguejo. It is there the monument begins to display its full splendor. At its tallest, the aqueduct reaches a height of 28.5 m (93 ft 6 in), including nearly 6 m (19 ft 8 in) of foundation. There are both single and double arches supported by pillars. From the point the aqueduct enters the city until it reaches Plaza de Díaz Sanz, it includes 75 single arches and 44 double arches (or 88 arches when counted individually), followed by four single arches, totalling 167 arches in all.

Within the walled city there was a distribution system. The details of this system are not fully known, but it has been established that the water followed a subterranean route, which has recently been marked on the city's pavements.

The first section of the aqueduct contains 36 semi-circular arches, rebuilt in the 15th century to restore a portion destroyed by the Moors in 1072. The line of arches is organized in two levels, decorated simply, in which simple moulds hold the frame and provide support to the structure. On the upper level, the arches are 5.1 metres (16.1 ft) wide. Built in two levels, the top pillars are both shorter and narrower than those on the lower level. The top of the structure contains the channel through which water travels, through a U-shaped hollow measuring 0.55 tall by 0.46 metre diameter. The top of each pillar has a cross-section measuring 1.8 by 2.5 metres (5.9 by 8.2 feet), while the base cross-section measures 2.4 by 3 metres (7.9 by 9.8 feet).

The aqueduct is built of unmortared, brick-like granite blocks. During the Roman era, each of the three tallest arches displayed a sign in bronze letters, indicating the name of its builder along with the date of construction. Today, two niches are still visible, one on each side of the aqueduct. One of them is known to have held the image of Hercules, who, according to legend, was founder of the city. That niche now contains an image of the Virgin. The other one used to hold an image of Saint Stephen, now lost.

The first reconstruction of the aqueduct took place during the reign of the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, known as Los Reyes Católicos or the Catholic Monarchs. Don Pedro Mesa, the prior of the nearby Jerónimos del Parral monastery, led the project. A total of 36 arches were rebuilt, with great care taken not to change any of the original work or style. Later, in the 16th century, the central niches and above-mentioned statues were placed on the structure. On 4 December, the day of Saint Barbara, who is the patron saint of artillery, the cadets of the local military academy drape the image of the Virgen de la Fuencisla in a flag.

The aqueduct is the city's most important architectural landmark. It had been kept functioning throughout the centuries and preserved in excellent condition. It provided water to Segovia until the mid 19th century. Because of differential decay of stone blocks, water leakage from the upper viaduct, and pollution that caused the granite ashlar masonry to deteriorate and crack, the site was listed in the 2006 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund (WMF). Contrary to popular belief, vibrations caused by traffic that used to pass under the arches did not affect the aqueduct due to its great mass.[citation needed ] WMF Spain brought together the Ministry of Culture, the regional government of Castilla y León, and other local institutions to collaborate in implementing the project, and provided assistance through the global financial services company American Express.

One of the buildings of Segovia's former mint, the Real Casa de Moneda, houses an aqueduct interpretation centre, developed with funding from European Economic Area grants.

There is a connection between the mint and the aqueduct in that coins minted in Segovia used the aqueduct as a mint mark. Another link is that the 16th-century building harnessed water power to drive its machinery, although the water is taken directly from the River Eresma rather than sourced from the aqueduct.

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The Aqueduct of Segovia ( Spanish: Acueducto de Segovia; more accurately, the aqueduct bridge) is a Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. It is one of the best-preserved elevated Roman aqueducts and the foremost symbol of Segovia, as evidenced by its presence on the city's coat of arms. As the aqueduct lacks a legible inscription (one was apparently located in the structure's attic, or top portion[citation needed ]), the date of construction cannot be definitively determined.

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Museo Nacional del Prado, Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

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Museo Nacional del Prado, Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

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Museo Nacional del Prado, Calle de Ruiz de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain

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Has over 8,600 paintings!

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This version of the Rubens exhibition video corresponds to the one that shows the tour presented in the first interactive video published by the Museo...

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Alcázar de Segovia, Plaza Reina Victoria Eugenia, Segovia, Spain

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Alcázar de Segovia, Plaza Reina Victoria Eugenia, Segovia, Spain

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Alcázar de Segovia, Plaza Reina Victoria Eugenia, Segovia, Spain

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The base of the castle is shaped like the base of a boat.

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But while wedging your way through the crowd towards Cinderella and Prince Charming, autograph book in hand, did you ever stop and wonder where the animation pioneer found his inspiration? Disney may arguably have had one of the most magical minds of all time, but even he based his creations off the real world (well, some of them, at least).

Enter Alcázar de Segovia, a castle in Segovia, a historic town in central Spain's Castile and León region a little over an hour northwest of Madrid. Take one look at its blue-gray turrets, protruding fortress, and rocky cliff foundation, and just try not to have an Alan Menken score pop into your head.

Alcázar de Segovia has a history far preceding the world of Disney, however - dating all the way back to the early 12th century - first as an Arab fort, then as a palace, housing many a king, then eventually a prison, and finally a military academy. Today it is a museum and archive open for the public to enjoy.

Different tour options are available depending on how much time you have and what you want to spend, though all are reasonable. A full tour includes a visit to the palace, the artillery museum, and the Tower of Juan II (8 euros), or you can do just the palace and museum (5.50 euros), or just the tower (2.50 euros).

One note: Climbing the Tower of Juan II involves a 152-step spiral staircase, but if you can make it, the views are something out of a fairy tale.

For castle hours and directions, you can visit its website. And if you really want to make it a Disney-themed experience, pack an outfit accordingly. (But please keep it discreet - Instagram gold or not, this isn't a theme park.)

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Alcazar de Segovia: The Castle That Inspired Walt Disney

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But while wedging your way through the crowd towards Cinderella and Prince Charming, autograph book in hand, did you ever stop and wonder where the animation pioneer found his inspiration? Disney may arguably have had one of the most magical minds of all time, but even he based his creations off the real world (well, some of them, at least).

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Altamira is a Paleolithic cave located in Santillana del Mar (Cantabria region), in the north of Spain, and was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1985. The cave was inhabited for millennia and, so it contains remains of the daily activities of the population. Nowadays, the cave is 270 m long and the archaeological site can be found inside the cave, near the entrance, however, there are also remains in the outside since the original entrance fell down. The cave can be divided into three sections: the entrance, the great room or polychrome room and the gallery. First, the entrance is the part where people used to live; archaeologists found there remains of animals bones, ashes belonging to continuous fireplaces and flint objects such as knives, axes, and flint fragments, indicating human activity in this part of the cave. Given the fact that archaeologists have found this type of remains located in different layers of sediments, it seems reasonable to assume that the cave was inhabited for long periods of time. The so-called polychrome or great room, painted in several colors, can be found in the inner part of the cave, where there is no natural light. The entrance and the polychrome room form a great hall, but since the cave is a narrow gallery there is little room for large spaces, except for the larger chamber. The end of the cave is a narrow gallery with difficult access, but it also contains paintings and engravings.

History of the cave

The cave was discovered in 1868 by a hunter, Modesto Cubillas, who told Marcelino Sanz de Sautola, a nobleman in the region, about it. However, Sanz de Sautola did not visit the cave until 1875 and started the first excavation works on the site in 1879, when he found objects made with flint, bones and horns, as well as colourants, fauna, and shells that allowed the cave paintings' dating. These works only took place at the entrance of the cave. Sanz de Sautola published his Breves apuntes sobre algunos objetos prehistóricos de la provincia de Santander ("Notes on some prehistoric objects in the Santander region") a year later. At the time of the discovery, the main research on Prehistory was carried out in France by scholars who did not accept the authenticity of the paintings since they did not show the same patterns and features of those caves studied in France. Hence, Sanz de Sautola was considered a liar and Altamira was forgotten. In 1902, E. de Cartailach, a French prehistorian, published Les cavernes ornées de dessins. La grotte d'Altamira, Espagne. "Mea culpa" d'un sceptique("The caves decorated with drawings. The cave of Altamira, Spain. "Mea culpa" of a sceptical") and, from that moment, the cave gained a key role in the international prehistoric research.

The cave, with eight distinguished levels of human occupation dating from Middle Magdalenian to Gravettian, WAS INHABITED For MILLENNIA.

Later, in 1903, H. Alcalde del Río continued the excavations and discovered two consecutive levels: one from the Upper Solutrean and other from the Lower Magdalenian, both of them belonging to the Paleolithic. These data were confirmed in the excavations made by Hugo Obermaier in 1924 and 1925, and J. González Echegaray and L. G. Freeman in 1980 and 1981, where they discovered a bigger complexity of the archaeological register. The studies and dating of the C14-AMS made in 2006 showed the different stages of human occupation of the cave. Eight levels were distinguished, from Middle Magdalenian (15,000-10,000 BCE) to Gravettian (25,000-20,000 BCE).

PAINTINGS

Based on the archaeological research, experts assume that the paintings and engravings of the cave were made by the people who inhabited the cave during the different periods. Most of the paintings and engravings of Altamira, ranging from animals to hands, are located in the polychrome room. The oldest paintings are located on the right of the roof and they include horses, positive and negative images of hands, and a series of dots; mostly drawn by using charcoal. There are also 'masks' created by drawing eyes and mouth to the bumps on the walls, which have been dated to the Lower Magdalenian period. However, the majority of the paintings from this period represent deer.

On the right of the roof, we can find the 25 coloured images of the cave (mostly in red and black): big representations of horses and bisons, as well as a female deer that measures more than two meters. The drawing technique employed was engraving the wall with a flint object and, then, drawing a black line using charcoal. Afterwards, it was coloured with red or yellow. The details, such as hair, were made with a charcoal pencil while elements like eyes or horns were engraved. Although they may seem simple figures, bumps and cracks on the roof were purposely used to give volume to the animals.

The narrow gallery contains a special set of masks representing animal faces, for instance, deer and bison. The technique employed is simple and astonishing at the same time. The artist took advantage of the walls bumps and the perspective to create a whole face with simple elements such as ayes and lines representing the mouth or the nose.

ALTAMIRA TODAY

Nowadays, Altamira cave is closed to the public due to its preservation problems. As said before, the entrance fell over and covered the cave, creating a stable climate inside that ensured the preservation of the paintings, but when it was discovered, the air started entering form the outside and caused changes in humidity and temperature. Furthermore, during the 20th century, walls and paths were built inside the cave to accept hundreds of thousands of visitors. All these changes affected the paintings, as well as the human presence. Between 1997 and 2001, measures were taken to control the state of the cave. In 2002, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) started an exhaustive conservation plan and, from 2011, an international committee of experts studies the feasibility of giving access to a restricted number of visitors without affecting the preservation of the paintings.

Even though the original cave cannot be visited, archaeological studies and experts made possible a recreation of the cave that can be visited as well as its museum which contains a permanent collection of objects from Altamira and other surrounding caves.

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Altamira is a Paleolithic cave located in Santillana del Mar (Cantabria region), in the north of Spain, and was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1985. The cave was inhabited for millennia and, so it contains remains of the daily activities of the population.

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Guggenheim Museum, Abandoibarra Etorbidea, Bilbao, Spain

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Guggenheim Museum, Abandoibarra Etorbidea, Bilbao, Spain

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Guggenheim Museum, Abandoibarra Etorbidea, Bilbao, Spain

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The original Guggenheim museum is actually in Manhattan, New York.

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Designed by Canadian American architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao building represents a magnificent example of the most groundbreaking 20th-century architecture. With 24,000 m2, of which 9.000 are dedicated to exhibition space, the Museum represents an architectural landmark of audacious configuration and innovating design, providing a seductive backdrop for the art exhibited in it.

Altogether, Gehry's design creates a spectacular sculpture-like structure, perfectly integrated within Bilbao's urban pattern and its surrounding area.

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Designed by Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao building represents a magnificent example of the most groundbreaking 20th-century architecture.